Monday: 5 Tips for Working Moms

1. Clear your mind when you get off of work. Before walking in the door after work each day, take a minute or two to mentally switch-over from work stresses to home life. Take a deep breath (or two or three or four). The last thing you want your husband or children to associate you coming home with a cranky mom.

2. Make time for you. When you work, it sometimes feels like between your job, family, house, and husband, you have not a minute for anything extra. But, if you can carve out a little time for yourself, just a long soak in the tub, or a brief outing to a movie, the time that remains will be more productive because you will be better rested and less stressed at your family.

3. Spend time with you husband, sans children. Depending on you and your husband’s schedule, you may not be able to spend time your husband alone very often. However, this time should be a priority. Remember that your relationship with your husband affects everything: how well you can work, how smoothly the home runs, how your children react to both of you, etc. Regardless of your life’s schedule, you need to spend time with your hubby.  The time you spend just you and him will have the greatest impact on your family- happy mom and dad leads to happy children.

4. Have an ordered home, NOT a spotless one. Be realistic: YOU WORK! Add to that your relationship with your hubby, each of your children, cooking, cleaning- it is not necessary to have a spic-n-span house. Spend some time to make sure that your house in in order: Meaning, clean, knowing where everything (or, most things) are, but don’t sweat it if your house doesn’t look like a Swiffer commercial.

5. Make sure your children know they come before your work. Sometimes work can be stressful- it can take a lot out of you and you really might not be able to do every single thing that you want to do with your kids- that’s life. HOWEVER. Make sure that in all you do, your children know that you value time with them far more than what you do at work. Actually take them aside, regardless of their age, and explain that mommy has to work to help support the family to pay for food, clothes, and a house, but that she only does it because she loves them. You never want your child to grow up thinking their mother loves work more than time spent with them.

There are lots of reasons to work- regardless of your reason to work, remember that family always needs to come before work. Good luck to working moms out there everywhere!

New to mom-ing? Check out 5 Tips for New Moms.